Twins
Part Three
Chapter Fifteen
Christmas and New Year came and went. Shannon, Alexis and I were on a
select soccer team and our season went from just before Christmas until
March. After that came tournaments almost every weekend. With practice
and games, I barely had time to think about baseball. I had to make a
decision as to whether I was going to play again this year. I would have
to give up one sport or the other.
I remembered how my production had fallen off last season and decided to
remain on the soccer team. It was one of the hardest decisions I ever
had to make, as Dad was one of the coaches on the baseball team. The
three of us held a special bond as the season progressed and I would
miss the time with Ted and my father. The only saving grace was that I
was bonding with girls now as opposed to trying to be one of the boys.
My hormones were kicking in big time. I was finally developing the
breasts I was so impatient for a year earlier. It was like the titty
fairy was making up for lost time, as was the case with my girlfriends.
We were becoming young women.
My growth had slowed to a crawl. I just reached five foot five and it
had taken me at least six months to grow an inch. Maybe I would stop
soon and just be a little taller than most of the other girls.
Big news, Anders kissed me. It wasn't like a run off and smooch kind of
kiss, but I found out later his friends all dared him to do it. Erik had
kissed Alexis several times and Ander's friends teased him until he said
he would kiss me.
It happened at lunch on a Thursday. We were all sitting at a table in
the cafeteria, Shannon, Alexis, Erik, Ted, and Anders. The conversation
was the same as it had been every day we were in school; gossip. We had
just finished eating and I knew something was up because one of the
boy's tables was watching us like a hawk. Every time Anders looked
toward the other boys they would motion to him like get on with it. He
would blush every time they did. Did I mention Anders is painfully shy?
"What are they doing?" I asked.
"Nothing."
Right! Nothing was the standard answer boys gave when they had something
planned so I went on my guard but it's not like it did any good. The
next thing I knew Anders had his lips plastered against mine. I jumped
back not knowing what I should do, slap him or laugh. My face turned red
with embarrassment before the giggles came. Anders turned as red as me
before looking at his friends who gave him a thumbs up.
"What are you doing?" I asked breathlessly.
He couldn't answer me. How was he going to tell me the reason for our
first kiss was a dare? The thing that surprised me more than anything
was that the kiss did nothing for me. We could have shaken hands and had
the same effect.
"Anders, what are you doing?" Shannon screeched, at the same time I
asked the same question.
His fair skin turned the darkest red I had ever seen when a person
blushed.
"Uhh, uhh," he stammered before continuing, "Roger and Lane said I
wouldn't do it."
Now I was insulted.
"You mean you kissed me because those boys said you wouldn't?"
"Umm, kind of."
I felt my face turning the same color as Anders, but with rage.
"How dare you?" I screamed. "I don't ever want to see you again," I said
and rushed to the girl's room with Shannon in tow. I don't know what
Alexis said to Anders' brother but she soon joined us with a scowl on
her face.
"Can you believe Anders would do such a thing?" I asked.
"Maybe Roger, but not Anders. I thought he would be too shy to try
something like that," Shannon exclaimed.
"I asked Erik what that was all about and he said he's trying to impress
those other boys," Alexis said.
"Well he could have done something else than what he did, ewww," I
groused.
"Didn't you like it a little bit, I mean being kissed?" Shannon asked.
"Are you serious? It felt like his lips were all wet and I know he had
some of his lunch still in his mouth."
"Ewww," both girls answered in unison.
"If he wanted to kiss me all he had to do was ask, but not in front of
the whole class."
"What are you going to do?" Alexis asked.
"Just ignore him. He'll see that trying to be a big man was a mistake."
We returned to the lunchroom and our table. Anders had made his way to
the table with Roger and his group. They were still congratulating him
on his show of masculinity. He looked at me with a sheepish smile on his
mouth and I glared back letting him know that he had made a very serious
mistake with me. Alexis sat next to Erik and they whispered for a bit
before he left to see his brother. After Erik said something to Anders,
he got a sick look on his face. I knew what was being said and Anders
realized what a fool he had been. So much for my first kiss.
Winter soccer season ended with us in first place and we won almost
every tournament we entered. The one loss was during a tourney in
Gilroy. Samantha, one of our defenders came down with the flu and had to
miss the trip. Carla, one of the new girls on the team, filled in for
her. Carla tried her best but wasn't as fast as Samantha and a team from
Monterey was able to score three goals against two for us. It was our
first loss of the year. Carla felt really bad for letting us down but we
told her it was okay and that we would beat them next time. We also
explained to her that it was the team's fault and not hers. She felt
better after that.
The play was West Side Story, which is a very difficult play for middle
school. Grades seven and eight were allowed to audition. As expected the
best parts went to the eighth graders. One surprise was that Melinda
landed the part of Anita. After the terrible incident with Ted, I
thought she wouldn't even try out, but she did and surprised everyone
with her singing ability. As practice progressed, you could see her
growing out of her shell. I'm so happy for her. All of us girls landed
parts, me as a Shark and Shannon as a Jet. We only had dancing parts but
being in the play was just about the most fun thing I did. I almost
forgot, Ted was also a Shark. I guess it's because of our dark
complexion.
It was decided the team was going take a break after the last
tournament. We had been playing non-stop since August of the previous
year. There were school activities coming soon like the annual school
play. Several girls on the team wanted to try out for some of the parts,
me included, so we put our cleats away for a while.
Since I wasn't playing ball with Ted I joined the softball team in
Sutter Creek. The team was composed of girls from the surrounding area
that were under fourteen years old. I was two months from my thirteenth
birthday, so I decided to try out for the team.
Tryouts were the second Saturday in March at Amador High School. I was
the only twelve-year-old student there. I recognized Jennifer Barnes and
Kathy Rundle from school but I rarely spoke to them as they were in the
eighth grade and I was in the seventh. I was taller than half the team
and my skills from baseball paid off big time. I wasn't used to playing
with a larger ball, which made fielding a bit more difficult, but it
helped when I had to bat. I might have not kept up with the boys but I
certainly shone with the girls. I was able to hit two home runs and made
contact with almost everything pitched at me. Needless to say, I made
the team with practice starting on the next Tuesday. Our games would run
from April until June and would be played half at home and the rest on
the road. The league consisted of teams from Sonora, Lodi, Elk Grove,
two from Stockton, Oakdale and Placerville. We would play each team
twice, once at home and once on the road. There would be twelve girls on
the team if we could find that many. Unfortunately only eleven girls
tried out so everyone made the team.
Our team was called the Lady Miners obviously from all the mining that
went on in our area. Our team had traditionally been one of the weaker
teams in the league, but coach seemed to like the team we had put
together. Our practices were twice a week, Tuesday and Thursday and we
were coming together as a team. I played shortstop because of my speed
and ball handling abilities.
Our first game was with Sonora, another weak team. I was glad to start
with a team we would be pretty much even with, if the previous years
were any indicator. I was wrong about us. We won the game in a blow-out,
twelve runs to one for them and that one was scored on the only error
our team made. I had three hits and two walks. The coach had me hitting
clean up because I was the strongest player on the team even though I
was the youngest.
The season progressed and we started to make waves. Winning games from
the weaker teams didn't cause a stir, but when we beat a team from
Stockton the word was out. Sutter Creek was a team to worry about, but
until we beat another strong team we were still an anomaly.
Lodi was our next game. Lodi's team was expected to win the league as
they had three of the last five years. We won, three to two and the word
was out. Sutter Creek was strong and it was no fluke.
We became very close as a team and Jennifer and Cathy even asked me to
join them at lunch. I agreed but only if Shannon and Alexis could join
to. They agreed and that's how we started eating with the eighth
graders. The older girls were fun and a bit raucous, the three of us
younger girls certainly had our ears full especially with regard to
boys. What a difference a year makes as we learned who already lost
their virginity, three girls, and who was a tease. My ears turned red
more than once.
Ted and I turned thirteen during April. We were teenagers, yay. Ted was
growing like a weed. He was five one and showed no signs of slowing
down. He was the strongest player on his baseball team and I was very
proud of him. I thought of the wonderful time we had shared playing ball
and I missed being on the same team as my brother.
Ted has been treating me much better than before our last visit to
Stanford. I guess the session with the doctor helped him come to terms
with me. I knew he had changed because when Anders kissed me I thought
Ted would beat the you-know-what out of him. The only reason he didn't
was that his friends told him he would be suspended if he got into a
fight, but he let Anders know if he ever did that to me again he was
dead meat.
I'm not going to dwell on the softball season except to say we won the
league and I won the most valuable player award from the league. My
teammates were beside themselves as the awards were handed out. Each
girl received a trophy and I got two, one for our team winning the
league and the other for best player. The season ended a week before I
had to return to Stanford.
Stanford was an easy visit this time. All that was done was a new
implant and the usual measurement of my body.
I spent an hour with Dr. Montgomery and she was pleased that I was
becoming more at ease with myself. I had truly become a young woman and
she reminded me that next year at this time the final operation was to
take place and to think very seriously about it because once it was done
there would be no turning back. As they say, the sale is final. I
giggled at that, as I had no doubt as to what I wanted done.
Chapter Sixteen
Summer vacation was the best ever this year. Softball and baseball
seasons were finished so Ted and I had the summer off until August when
soccer and select baseball began which meant we could spend as much time
with our friends as we wanted as long as our chores were finished at
home. Shannon and I spent a lot of time swimming while Ted spent his
time with his friends. Thank God he no longer associated with Donovan
and his creepy friends.
Spending time at the pool had become a different experience for me. As I
mentioned, my body was finally filling out. There was no longer any
doubt that I had a figure even though it was an athletic one. My bust
measured thirty- three, my waist twenty-four and my hips thirty-two. I
was ready to graduate to a B cup bra in another month. I only wore a
one-piece bathing suit because of my boy parts, but I still seemed to
garner more than my share of attention from boys.
"Shannon, did you see that boy looking at me?" I asked when one boy so
obviously stared at me that I felt as though I was being undressed.
"How could I miss it? What a pig!"
"Why do they stare like that?"
Being girls who were just going into the eighth grade and, to be
perfectly honest, very self conscious about our developing bodies, our
new gained attention from boys was more than a little disconcerting. As
a young woman, I was still learning the fine art of being female and
even though my journey started five years ago, I was still learning.
Much to my surprise so was Shannon; only she was learning how to cope
with the new attention she and I were on the receiving end of boys
entering puberty.
Boys our age were still at the between stage where they would just as
soon play with toys as look at a girl. The boys paying attention to us
were well into their puberty, boys in high school. If I didn't admit to
being flattered by the attention from these boys, I'd be lying. What
they did with their actions was to confirm what everyone had told me
since I reluctantly became a girl to help our family hide from the
Russian Mafia. The biggest surprise was discovering that I like being a
girl even more than the boy I had left behind. Boys had been the
farthest thing from my mind, but as my puberty took hold, my feelings
changed. I no longer viewed boys as being some dirty bit of humanity put
on earth to make my life miserable, but as funny and cute. What a
difference a year makes.
Needless to say, my mother didn't overlook my sudden interest in boys.
Much to my concern she wanted to have a conversation about it. I was in
my room selecting what I would wear after our trip to the pool. Mom
called to me from the kitchen.
"Cindy, may I have a word with you?"
Ah, the magic phrase, may I have a word.
"Yes Mom, I'll be right there."
I walked to the kitchen wearing just my bathing suit and a pair of flip-
flops. My mother looked at me with an appraising eye and a look of
concern.
"Honey, you look very nice," she said, trepidation oozing from her
mouth.
"Thanks Mom, but you didn't have to call me in here to tell me that."
"I know sweetheart and that's not why I called you. I've noticed your
recent interest in boys when you go to the pool and I'm a bit concerned.
You're a young woman with no experience whatsoever with boys and I'm
afraid you're going to get hurt."
"But I'm not doing anything, Mom."
My mother rolled her eyes at that.
"I'm not saying you are, Cindy. What I'm saying is that you're a very
pretty girl and when I've driven past the pool, I've seen more than a
few boys talking to you and Shannon. If I'm not wrong you two weren't
trying to chase them away either."
"We were just talking."
"Talking to you is flirting to them and I could see they were several
years older than you."
"They're in high school."
"That's what I thought. Cindy, boys that age have a lot more experience
with girls than you have with boys. It would be very easy for you to get
carried away trying to impress an older boy, but if you did, you could
really be hurt."
"Why, we're just having a little fun?"
"Because you're still a boy and no one around here knows you are.
Depending on the decision you make this year, next year won't be a
problem. You will either become a woman or you can become Marcus again."
"I don't want to be Marcus again, this is who I am. I love being a girl
Mom and I wish I could have the operation today."
"I'm sure you feel that way now, but you still can change your mind."
"I won't change my mind. I've never been so sure of anything in my
life."
"You feel that way now, but something might happen to change your mind,
a boy or girl, some incident at school, even wanting to play baseball
again. Next year will be the most important in your life."
"I know Mom and I'm sure I won't change my mind. I'm Cindy now. If you
had asked me the same question four years ago, I'm sure I would have
loved to become Marcus again, but now with my friends and the way I'm
becoming a woman, there's no way I'd want to go back."
Mom smiled before she said, "That doesn't change the fact that you're
attracting boys and all I'm asking is that you be careful, and I would
have been having this same conversation if you had been born a girl."
"Yes, Mom."
After the conversation I became much more wary during the time I spent
at the pool. I had to share my mother's talk with Shannon, not
mentioning my real sex to her.
"My mother talked to me about watching out for the boys when we swim," I
said.
"Oh God, not the 'you're too young and they're older and more
experienced and you don't know what you're doing' talk?" she asked,
giggling lightly.
"How did you know?"
"I got the same talk the first week we went to the pool. Sometimes
parents are so stupid. Things are different for us and I'm sure boys
were different when they were our age. God my mother's thirty-three
already."
"I know, I don't think my mother has a clue what high school boys are
like. Oh well, I guess we just have to be careful."
As our time at the pool continued, Shannon and I fell predictably under
the spell of boys, hormones, and feeling popular. I could hardly believe
the ease that a boy could gain enough trust to steal a kiss from us.
These kisses certainly felt different than the rushed mashing of lips
Anders had succumbed to, to prove a point to his friends. The most
disturbing thing about the kisses was the feelings of turmoil they cause
inside of me. There were little things too that did things I didn't know
were possible; an inadvertent brushing against my breast or a breath of
air against my ear, tiny things that made my blood boil. As the summer
progressed, I finally knew what my mother had said to me, be careful
because you have no idea of what you're getting yourself into.
Luckily, the only place Shannon and I had interaction with boys was at
the pool. I'm sure if we had been somewhere more private much more than
kisses and an occasional wandering hand would have taken place. As it
was, just the interaction with the boys brought us to a place I wouldn't
have even thought of; shaving. Yep, Shannon and I took the big plunge
and started shaving our underarms and legs. We knew it would happen at
some point in our lives, but more than anything it was to impress the
boys. What bigger draw than pretty legs on girls who were still
inadequate in the chest department? Oh we had breasts, but not the ones
that drew attention like the fourteen and fifteen year old girls had. We
used what we had and it was enough to draw attention. Our mothers said
we were too young to wear makeup, like that was going to stop us.
Somehow Shannon was able to buy some mascara and I bought a soft pencil
to line our eyes and draw our eyebrows a little for definition. We
weren't good, but it seemed to work on the boys. I'm not saying we were
boy crazy, but I guess we were, but as I said, all we did was hang out
at the pool and if we attracted boys, then so much the better. My mother
finally asked the inevitable question, after a day at the pool.
"Have you been wearing makeup?" she asked, realizing that Shannon and I
had botched the removal of same.
My face turned red as I tried to form a lie as to why my eye lashes
would be darker than normal.
"Oh, we ran into a girl from our class whose mother allows her to wear
makeup and she wanted to see what we looked like with a little mascara.
I didn't think you would mind?" I answered softly.
"Cindy, I said no makeup. You're too young and too pretty and all you'll
do is draw boys who have nothing good in their mind when it comes to
young girls. Maybe when you start school I'll allow a little lip gloss
and a touch of mascara, but until then I want you to behave."
"Yes Mother."
Our pool activities lasted for a little over a month but ended when
soccer season started. August first is the first day practice is allowed
in AYSO soccer and when that day came Shannon's father started practice.
His love was soccer as he had played in college and was on scholarship
so after he graduated he continued to play. He still played in an adult
league while coaching us. Needless to say, when we didn't have team
practice, Shannon and I had drills in her backyard to improve our
skills. She and I were the two best players in the league while Alexis
was almost at our skill level. Luckily we only had enough players to
make one team or Shannon and I would have been on separate teams. As the
years progressed, more and more girls dropped out of sports and found
other interests. Liz, one of our best defenders, quit because she became
interested in dancing ballet as did several other girls on other teams.
Some just decided they were playing to please their parents and said no,
they wouldn't play anymore. The thing I liked best about our team was
that all the girls wanted to be on it and play soccer.
Our season went as expected and we won the league. The teams were from
all over, with three being from Stockton, two from Lodi and the rest
from various towns in the area. Our hardest competition was from
Stockton and we won by one goal.
Shannon and I found our grades were very good. Alexis started helping us
with our weakest subjects and it helped. Alexis is the brains of our
group and maintained a straight A average. Shannon and I would get an
occasional B. My brother though was a disappointment as far as school
was concerned. I think his mind was somewhere else as he had more than
his share of C's. Shannon was still the soccer player and I was the all-
around athlete and because of that, I tried out again for a girl's
basketball team at the local Catholic Church.
I had shot baskets with the boys in the neighborhood as had Shannon. I
wasn't very good, but we didn't really do it very often. Luckily, when I
tried out for the team they didn't care what my skill level was but
accepted me with open arms. Apparently not many girls were playing
basketball in our area and I would have made the team if I could barely
walk. The team ended up with seven girls so if one or two didn't show up
we had no substitutes. I won't bore you with a running description of
the games, but I ended up as a defender because of my speed and my poor
shooting ability. The best part of being on the team was that I made new
friends from Sutter Creek as four girls were from there. Christy,
Rachel, Sherri, and Monica had been friends since they started school in
kindergarten and naturally ended up on the same team together. I was
welcomed as if I had been their friend for my whole life. The tallest
girl on the team was Monica, being five foot-seven and I was next at
five-five. As with girls at my school, the conversation started with
basketball and ended up with boys.
"Did you see that boy watching from the visitor's side of the court?"
Christy asked.
Christy was the pretty one of the group, having long blonde hair, big
blue eyes and a figure to die for. She drew attention wherever we went.
"You mean the one with dark hair and the black T shirt?" Sherri
responded.
"Yes, he's the one. God he was so cute, I could hardly concentrate on
the game," Christy giggled.
"He couldn't stop staring at Cindy," Monica said.
"Me, you're not serious?" I blushed.
"Serious," Monica answered in a clipped tone.
"Why me?"
"Because you're the prettiest girl on the team."
"Christy is," I said.
"Are you serious? Every game we go to, all the boys watch you, even if
you aren't on the court. You might not know it Cindy, but you're
seriously good looking."
"Thanks," I said not knowing what else to say.
"Speaking of good looking, could you introduce me to your brother
someday?" Christy giggled.
"My brother, eww, you can't be serious?"
"He's as cute as you are pretty. I'm sure you've noticed?"
"How would I notice, he's my brother. I barely talk to him."
"I don't mind if you talk to him as long as he would want to talk to
me?"
"I'll ask him, but eww," I said, as we all giggled.
The basketball season started in November as soon as soccer ended. I had
to miss one game because of my implant replacement. My appointment was
always two weeks before Christmas and was the FBI's gift to me; thank
you FBI.
As usual I was measured and had my blood sucked from my body and then
the implant was placed in my arm.
I had grown a little, a very little but I was now five foot-five and one
quarter. I was definitely slowing in the height department. My biggest
surprise was that I was now officially a B size cup and my hips had
grown an inch. Remarkably, my waist had shrunk a half of an inch. I
guess all the sports had paid off.
I went to see Dr. Montgomery for the last time before my surgery. She
had asked me to think about what was going to happen in June, but what
with summer and my sports I really hadn't give the operation much
thought.
"Good morning Cindy, my, don't you look pretty," she said.
"Thank you."
"I just realized this will be our last meeting until after your surgery
in June. Have there been any issues you would like to talk about?"
"No, not really."
"The last time you were here you mentioned that you had a boyfriend?"
"I don't anymore."
"And why's that?"
"He kissed me."
"He kissed you? I would think that would be something to be happy
about?"
"He only did it to show off to his friends. I didn't like that, so I
told him I didn't want to be his girlfriend anymore."
"I see. What about other boys, are you attracted to them?"
I couldn't help blushing as I answered, "Yes, kind of."
"Kind of?"
"Well Shannon and I spent lots of time at the pool this summer and a lot
of older boys paid attention to us and even kissed us."
"How did you feel about that?"
"I liked it a lot."
"Was it different than your old boyfriend's kiss?"
"Very different. I was shaking after one boy's kiss."
"I see."
"How are you and your brother getting on?"
"We're fine. We still have our moments, but so do every other sister and
brother I know."
"Has he finally accepted who you've become?"
"I think so. He doesn't say hurtful things anymore."
"I'm glad. Now, have you given anymore thought to your operation?"
"No."
"And why's that?"
"I don't know."
"It could be that you're avoiding what you're going to do in June."
"I don't think it's that. I've just been so busy that I haven't had a
chance to think about it."
"Well we might as well discuss it now so you will have a chance to think
more about it between now and next June. Are you even aware of what's
going to take place?"
"Of course I know, I'm going to become a real girl."
"Cindy, there's more to it than that. Yes you'll become a girl, but has
anyone taken the time to explain what will be done?"
"Not really."
"I didn't think so. Looking at you I can see your body is ready to
become a woman, but I wonder if you're mentally ready for such a
journey. Let me ask you a very important question, do you want to have
children?"
Have children? I'm a child myself, why would I even think of having
children?
"I don't know, I haven't even thought about it."
"Cindy you do realize you'll never be able to have children of your own
unless you adopt. To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure you could even
father a child now after the hormone treatments you've had administered
to you. We could stop your hormone treatments now and let you return to
being the boy you once were, well almost. You would have to have surgery
to remove your breasts and you probably won't grow as tall as your
brother, but you could be a boy again, the Marcus you left behind when
this decision was made for you."
"I made the decision to become Cindy, no one made me do this," I
exclaimed, raising my hands up and down my body as reference.
I had loved talking to Dr. Montgomery when I came here, but now I was
seeing a whole different person as our conversation continued.
"Are you certain no one tried to influence you, your mother of father,
just a little?"
"No, I volunteered to become the girl. I'm sure Ted would have done the
same, it's just that he could never make a decision, and we'd still be
boys if I didn't say something first."
"Why did you say you would do it before he did?"
Why did I volunteer first? At the time, Grady could have just as well
said something before I did. It wasn't as though I said something a half
of a second after the idea was put forth. I remember a long pause before
I said anything. Why, I wondered, and why did I love becoming a girl?
There had to be something else I was missing, and why had I embraced
this whole lie with open arms?
"I don't know, it just seemed the right thing to do."
"The right thing to do at the time is one thing, but becoming a girl is
something else again. Why didn't you become a boy again after you moved
to Jackson? You could have very easily changed your clothes, cut your
hair and be done with it, but you didn't, why?"
"Because I had become Cindy and I loved who I was. Is that so wrong?"
"No honey, that's not wrong, but you could have become a man like your
brother is going to do. Won't you miss that?"
"No. It would be like asking Ted if he missed growing breasts and
flirting with boys. This is all I've ever known. I barely remember being
Marcus. I know I was that boy once, but he's only a memory and one I
don't want to become again."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because I'm a girl. I think I have always been one but just didn't
realize it. Even though Ted and I are twins I just know we are different
enough to be brother and sister."
"You're identical twins, you know, from the same embryo."
"They explained that in school but I know for sure Ted and I aren't the
same. It's just small things, we have different eye shape, not ones
anyone would notice, but I do. I remember seeing picture of a face split
and then the left and right side were put together. The faces looked
like two different people. I think it's the same with Ted and me, we
might be identical, but we aren't, if that makes any sense."
"I suppose it does."
"My mom and I were talking a while back and she wondered why I had taken
so easily to becoming a girl and mentioned that I might have had some
girl genes none of us knew about and told me a story. When we were
living in New Jersey, we went to visit my Uncle and his wife, they had
two daughters, one three like Grady and me, and the other four. Mom said
she and my aunt thought it would be a real cute joke if the boys were
dressed as girls and the girls as boys. They would take a picture and
then change us back again. The fathers grumbled a bit but since the boys
would be girls and the girls boys, they relented. We were all about the
same size so the girls just put on our clothes, but our mothers had a
different idea about what we should wear. My cousins had been wearing
jeans and girl's T's but weren't overly feminine. They decided Grady and
I should wear their Easter Sunday dresses instead. Their reasoning was
why do this if they couldn't do it the right way. Mom dressed me and
then went to dress Grady. All Hell broke loose as she tried to put my
cousin's clothes on him. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with him?
I liked the way the clothes felt and I loved feeling like a girl, if
just for a moment. 'Grady, it's fun', I remember saying and that calmed
him down but just enough for him to dress. The pictures were taken and
we changed back into our clothes again. The thing I remembered most was
the sorrow I felt when I had to remove the dress. I can still remember
the swishing sound of the petticoats when I moved and sat. Seeing my
legs covered with white tights and white Mary Janes on my feet seemed so
right at the time, but being three years old the memories left me pretty
quickly. Even when I became Cindy, I felt guilty liking the girl I was
portraying. It wasn't right for a boy to enjoy being a girl, least of
all when all I had to do was look at my twin brother to see what kind of
boy I was supposed to be."
I had rambled on for what seemed like ages and the emotional memories
brought tears to my eyes. Dr. Montgomery handed me a box of tissues to
repair my face.
"You felt guilty even after you were asked to pretend to be a girl?" Dr.
Montgomery asked, when I had composed myself enough to continue.
"I think I did, in fact I know I did. I volunteered to be the girl and
when I discovered I liked being the girl, I felt guilty. I was a boy and
I shouldn't have liked dressing up like this, but I did. When we moved
to Jackson there was no way for me to back out of what I was doing
unless we moved to a different town. I met Shannon and everything I was
doing just felt right. There was no guilt except for not being able to
tell my best friend I really wasn't a girl, but even that changed, as I
became the person I was portraying. Cindy had become a real person and
Marcus became a memory much like the girl in the dress five years
before. Dr. Montgomery, I love who I am and even though I can't give
birth to children, I'm still a girl through and through."
"Yes, I imagine you are," she said, a wistful smile on her lips.
"Are we finished?" I asked as the pause lasted longer than it should.
"Maybe just a few more questions, Cindy. How did you feel when you were
thrust into femininity after you moved to Jackson? I'm sure it must have
been a shock to your mind?"
"Not really. Shannon and I bonded from the minute we met and I still had
baseball."
"Baseball?"
"Yes, baseball. When we were living back east, Ted and I played baseball
whenever we could. We even played in the back yard and broke more than
one window. I still played when we moved, in fact I was a better player
that Ted, but don't tell him I told you so. I played until last year and
only quit because I was the only girl on the team and I noticed I wasn't
gaining strength like the boys were. I mentioned it to my other doctor
and she said it was my hormones and that girls didn't have the strength
of boys. I decided to play softball instead on a girl's team and I've
met new friends because of it. I play more sports now than Ted does. I'm
on a select soccer team and played basketball for the first time just
this year. I had to miss a game to be here."
"So you like sports? Do you think it helped you to become a girl?"
"I think it did. I found girls could play sports as well as boys. It's
just when they got older there were problems. Playing baseball let me
keep a part of Marcus in my life but that part became less important as
I grew older. I think it was when I began taking hormones that holding
on to Marcus was no longer important to me. I became much more aware of
Cindy and who I wanted to be when I grew older."
"And what would that be?"
"It may seem silly, but I think I would like to be an FBI agent and help
people like they helped me."
"It's not silly and I think you would be a very good agent if you carry
through with that dream. You might change your mind by the time you
graduate from college, but that's a long way away. From what you've told
me this afternoon I have no concerns as to whether or not you want to
become a woman, Cindy. If you don't change your mind between now and
June, I'll recommend the surgery for you. You're going to be a lovely
woman and it's been a pleasure talking to you these last few years. I'm
looking forward to seeing you in June."
With that Dr. Montgomery stood and left the room. I think she had a tear
in her eye, but I can't be sure.
We played two more basketball games before Christmas and then started up
again after the New Year. I was still one of the benchwarmers but my
shooting had improved since I started on the team. Being the second
tallest girl, I was able to play for about a quarter of the game,
knowing if my shooting improved my time on the court would too. Shannon
and I spent hours at the school while I practiced my ball handling
skills and shooting eye. I reminded Shannon I did the same when I
practiced soccer with her when she occasionally whined about being a
ball girl for me. I talked her into shooting too with the hope she would
join the team with me.
"I'm too short," she would lament, returning the ball to me.
"But it's fun. I'm almost the tallest girl on the team and I don't play
that much. You should try out next year."
"This is the last year for girls our age. There's no way I'd qualify for
the girls team in high school."
"You could try?"
"No I couldn't. Basketball is the same time as soccer and there's no way
I'm going to miss being on the soccer team."
"I didn't know that. I guess this will be my only chance to play
basketball then. There's no way I'm going to pass on playing soccer with
my best friend in the whole world," I laughed.
"You're a bitch," she giggled.
I finished the season and played in one whole game as two girls were
home with the flu. I even made two baskets but blocked three shots. I
was pretty full of myself until I learned the team we beat was the
weakest in the league. Oh well, so much for my WNBA contract.
Softball began right after basketball ended. We hadn't played soccer
since November so our coach decided to put together a select team to
play the spring tournaments. I now had conflict in my life. I loved
playing softball and I had grown to love soccer and playing on a team
with my best friend. I needed someone to talk to.
"Mom, I have a problem?"
"What's that sweetheart, too many boyfriends?" she laughed.
"Mom, I'm being serious. I can't decide whether I should play softball
or soccer this year? What do you think?"
"Which one would you rather play?"
"I don't know, that's why I'm asking you."
"I can't tell you which one to choose, which would you rather play? You
love baseball and softball is as close to baseball as it gets. Your best
friend is on the soccer team and I've seen how well you play soccer. I
think Shannon is the only player who's better that you. You've gained
new friends playing softball but you also have friends that are much
closer on the soccer team. I know Shannon is your best friend but Alexis
is also very close to you. Your softball friends are new friends but
your soccer friends have been your friends since we moved here. I don't
think it's a matter of which game to play, but more of which friends are
more important to you."
"I see what you're saying. I love Shannon more than words can say and I
wouldn't feel right abandoning her and Alexis and the rest of the girls
to play softball. I know the girls on the softball team will be upset,
but I can't let Shannon down. Thanks Mom."
I wouldn't play softball again until I entered high school.
Shannon's dad was a taskmaster with the new team. All the girls were out
of shape, even me. Basketball wasn't soccer and our sore muscles let us
know we had a lot of work to do. We would be playing in our first
tournament in four weeks.
The first tournament was a blast. It was held in Sacramento, so we
stayed overnight. Needless to say, fifteen girls in a hotel room at the
same time was more than the other guests could bear. The manager shut us
down at nine-thirty so we split forces and had a slumber party in two
rooms. We had lost one of our games already from lack of playtime during
the year and we knew the team we would play Sunday was the strongest in
our flight hence we decided to make this a fun weekend instead of
worrying about the games. Our decision cost us the game big time. We
lost five to two with Shannon and I each scoring one goal.
Shannon's father wasn't pleased at our performance. Luckily he waited
until our first practice to let us know just how disappointed he was
with us.
"Girls, you really sucked last weekend. You weren't passing the ball
like you did last year and I could hardly believe what I was watching as
the game continued. You've been working out for four weeks but you look
as though all you did was sit and watch television. I tried to take it
easy on you, but look what it got us, embarrassment. I won't let this
happen again so no more mister nice guy. Girls by next week I expect to
see an improvement, now get off your butts and let me see you run,
sixteen laps, now go," Coach yelled.
All fifteen of us took off running. Our usual number of laps was ten,
which pretty much wore us out, but now we had six more to do. I wondered
how well I would do? I was the second best runner on the team behind
Alexis and even I was winded after seven laps. We pushed on and finally
completed the exercise with most of us almost falling across the finish
line.
"Drink some water, but don't overdo it or you'll get sick," Coach said.
Pamela, one of the defenders didn't listen to what coach had said and
was soon throwing up her lunch, yuk.
Next came ball-handling skills. We thought we were pretty good but coach
threw in some twists that made most of us look silly, even Shannon. The
next exercise was passing with accuracy. We all knew how to pass, but
our layoff had made us lazy, which showed during our games. More than
once we lost a breakaway because of a poorly placed ball. By the time
practice ended our skills had improved dramatically.
Coach also added two more days of practice. Every other day would be for
conditioning and the other two for skills. He was right; we were in the
best shape we had ever been in.
Our next tournament was in Lodi so we didn't stay overnight Even though
the drive was an hour long we didn't want a repeat of our party time
during our games. We won, barely beating the other team in the finals
two to one. Shannon made both goals with assists from me.
Our next big tournament was in Davis. Davis is the biggest tournament of
the year and we felt we were ready for the challenge. The level of play
in this tournament is like playing the final game of each regular
tournament we had entered. Our conditioning had paid off as we won our
first game by three goals. The next was much more difficult and we
squeezed out a one to nothing victory. Sunday we had to win our first
game by two or more goals to be in the final. We did, winning by three.
The final was against the team that had made us look so bad in the third
game of our first tournament. Our team couldn't help but notice the smug
looks on the opposing girls' faces. The game was one of those grinding
marathons where no one scored. Regulation ended with the score tied at
zero. An additional fifteen minutes was added to the end of the game and
we scored a goal at the eleven-minute mark. We normally use two
forwards, four mid-fielders and four defenders. Coach moved Alexis to
the middle, which threw their defenders off. Shannon was playing right
wing, I was on the left and Alexis was in the middle. Shannon crossed
the ball to me, which drew the defender from the middle. I dribbled the
ball toward the goal and at the last second passed the ball to Alexis
who tapped it past the keeper into the net.
You would have thought we won the World Cup from the celebration our
team engaged in. The referee almost carded Coach for having too many
players on the field. The game ended with us in the lead. Our team had
become a force that continued through the summer into the fall.
Chapter Seventeen
School was no big thing and I didn't have a boyfriend after what had
happened with Anders. Lots of boys asked me to go steady but I thought
doing that would be really stupid since they couldn't take me on a date,
so why bother? I think the biggest thing to happen was graduation from
middle school. It was a scaled down version of what a high school
graduation should be. We had cap and gowns and walked into the
auditorium and were seated in front of the stage. The principal and
someone from the district offices made a speech, Alexis was given her
award for best student, we were handed our diplomas and our school year
was over.
Mom and Dad had a party for us and I was able to invite five friends, as
was Ted. When I say five friends that included parents of those same
friends. Dad grilled burgers and hot dogs and to be honest the party was
a wonderful time, as none of the kids could get too crazy with their
parents there.
The following week I made my final trip to Stanford. It was time for me
to become a girl for keeps. I had thought about what was to be done to
me and I couldn't think of anything to change my mind. I guess Ted and I
weren't as identical as I thought because I think I may have wanted to
be a girl for as long as I could remember but even those thoughts might
have been wrong and just been wishful thinking because I had been living
as a girl for so long. Six years doesn't sound like much, but it was
almost half of my life. If you consider that I have no memories of my
first three years then those six are more than half my life. I can't say
for sure if my disguise had changed me or if I've always been a girl?
The only thing I'm sure of is my desire to finish this journey.
My first visit was to Dr. Montgomery's office.
"So, Cindy, tomorrow's the big day?" she said.
"Yes, I can hardly wait?"
"No doubts as to whether you want to go through with it?"
"None. I'm a girl Dr., there's no doubt in my mind at all and I need is
to have my body match my brain."
"I thought you would say this to me," she said. "I knew after our last
session you wouldn't change your mind, so I won't waste your time. I've
already drafted a letter of approval for your surgery and I'll send it
to your primary doctor here at Stanford. You might as well have your
parents take you to the surgery center and check in. Tomorrow will be a
long day for you and good luck Miss Crane."
Dr. Montgomery smiled as I stood and let myself out of the room. Mom and
Dad were waiting to bring me to the surgery center which was located
about a half of a mile from where we were.
Dad registered me at the check-in and left Mom and me to find our way to
the third floor surgical center. Much like the first time I was here at
Stanford Hospital, I was given a room and asked to remove my clothes and
put on the dreaded gown so my tests would be easier to do. I was poked
and prodded, measured from my head to my feet, jabbed with needles to
draw blood and had an IV needle stuck in the back of my hand.
I learned that I had gained an inch on my hips and chest and lost
another half of an inch on my waistline. The nurses teased me, saying if
I wasn't careful I'd have boys lining up around the block. I just rolled
my eyes. I almost forgot, I grew another half of an inch and am now five
foot five and three quarters. I think five six is plenty tall for a girl
and I hope I don't grow much taller.
After all was said and done, they put me in my bed and hooked a bag of
solution to my IV. It had antibiotics to get rid of any bacteria I might
have swimming in my system the nurse said. Time had passed quickly and
it was already six PM. My high-end meal was served, mmm, mmm. Well done
beef with a dark liquid they claimed to be gravy, mashed potatoes
directly from the box, just add water and grey string beans right from
the can. Dessert you ask, green Jell-O and apple juice to wash it down.
I wasn't hungry when I finished. My nurse said I wasn't to eat anything
else until after my surgery and no liquids after midnight. The only nice
thing was having Mom and Dad staying with me. Because of my age, they
were allowed to sleep in my room with me, which helped greatly to quell
my nervousness. I tried to put on a brave front but there were more than
a few times I wanted Mom to hold me. I guess I'm a baby after all.
My nurse came and woke me at six AM to prep me for surgery. I was tired
having slept restlessly during the night. They drew blood one more time
and rolled my bed to the prep room. My IV bag was changed to a saline
solution, I was shaved and swabbed with disinfectant where the operation
would take place and then my parents were allowed in the room. They
stayed for an hour until the anesthesiologist came into the room. He was
a tall man with an infectious smile and really handsome.
"Good morning Cindy, I'm Dr. James and I'll be administering your pain
medicine during your operation. I'll be with you the whole time during
the surgery and you won't feel a thing. Do you have any questions for
me?"
"No," I answered with a dreamy look in my eyes.
Mom recognized the look on my face and stifled a chuckle.
"Good. I want you to say goodnight to your Mom and Dad and then I'm
going to give you a shot to relax you a bit before we go into surgery."
Mom came to me and held my hand as Dad stood behind her.
"Are you sure you want this?" she asked. "You know you don't have to go
through with this if you don't want to?"
"I want to Mom. Don't worry, I'll be fine."
Mom hugged me and whispered, "I love you, little girl."
"I love you too."
Mom moved out of the way and Dad took her place and said, "I'm so proud
of you Cindy. You're my hero for doing what needed to be done, I love
you."
"I love you too Dad," I said with a smile.
Mom and Dad left the room. Mom tried to hide it but I could see the
tears running down her cheek. I wasn't sure if she was crying because
because she was sad that I was going to become a girl, or happy because
I was going to become one? She was in a quandary I didn't envy. Either
way it was too late to turn back, not that I wanted to, but I would
always wonder if I was doing the right thing.
Dr. James returned and I got the same dumb expression on my face as my
heart rate increased with his presence.
"I'm just going to give you a little shot to help you relax Cindy. All
you'll feel is a little pinch, there' all done."
It took all of about ten seconds for me to relax; right, liar, liar
pants on fire, and the soft fuzzy blackness enveloped my body.
Ping, ping, ping, ping, what is that noise? Let me sleep and while
you're at it take the cotton out of my mouth. Ping, ping, ping, ping, oh
God, it's my alarm. I'm supposed to play in a tournament today. My eyes
fluttered open enough to see a bright light directly over my head, yuk
turn it off. I moved to turn on my side so the light would go away.
"Ugh," I groaned as pain shocked me back to reality.
"She's awake," a familiar voice announced.
"Where am I?" I croaked.
"Honey, you just had surgery," the voice answered.
I knew that voice. I had heard it before, who was it? Think, Cindy,
think, what do you remember? Oh yes, that oh so handsome doctor told me
he was going to help me relax and injected me with something. It would
feel like a pinch, but why don't I remember anything else? That voice, I
know, it's Mom. What happened to me and why won't my brain work like
it's supposed to?
"Mom?" I asked, my voice ragged.
"Cindy, it's over and everything went perfectly," Mom said.
"Perfectly?" I asked, my brain still muddled.
"Yes sweetheart, you're a girl now."
A girl, a girl, I'm a girl. Of course I'm a girl, I've been a girl for,
for, for six years. Then it hit me, I had surgery and I really was a
girl. A smile crossed my lips. I was officially a member of the club.
My eyes opened and Mom was hovering over me smiling from ear to ear. She
had a daughter and it showed on every surface of her beautiful face. She
was excited and she looked proud because I was now like her, female.
"How do you feel?" she asked.
"Umm, fine," I lied.
I felt weird. My stomach was upset and my body felt like it was wrapped
in cotton. I moved my hand to where my last bit of male parts had been
and felt tubes coming from the bandages. Other than that, nothing. My IV
was still attached and I watched the liquid drip into the line leading
to my body. The only thing I noticed that I now had more plastic tubes
running from my body.
My nurse walked in the room followed by my surgeon. My surgeon smiled
and asked, "How are you feeling Cindy?"
"Fine I guess."
She lifted my covers and asked, "Any pain?"
"No."
"Good. You still have anesthetic in your body so you won't notice
anything for a few hours. After that you might feel a little discomfort.
If you do ring for nurse Chambers and she will give you something for
your discomfort."
The surgeon covered me back up again. And I rested. I felt tired and
sleep came easily.
My eyes opened again and now I knew what the discomfort the doctor was
talking about, only I had another word for it, pain. My mother was
sitting next to my bed watching as my face contorted into wakefulness.
"Did you rest well sweetheart?"
"I hurt," I said, as an answer to her question.
I shifted uncomfortably to help with the pain, but all that did was make
it worse.
Mom had pushed the button for the nurse so she came into the room
quickly.
"Are you alright, Cindy?" she asked.
"I hurt down there," I answered, pointing at the operation site.
"Your drugs must be wearing off finally. I'll give you something to help
take the pain away," she said and injected something into my IV tube. I
was asleep in minutes.
The rest of my day went like that. Wake every four or five hours, have
the nurse give me pain meds and sleep again. The next few days followed
the same pattern.
My operation had turned into discomfort rather than pain by the fourth
day of recovery. It was nice not to take the meds and stay awake. It was
also time for me to get out of bed and walk.
I don't care what anyone says, but getting up the first time isn't fun.
I had to fight the dizziness from my medication and the increased
discomfort from the operation. I felt like a little old lady. Mom was on
one side of me and my nurse was on the other as they guided me down the
hallway around the floor. My hands were full holding the rolling stand
with my IV dripping fluid and my other hand holding my catheter bag. We
walked around the floor twice before I returned to my bed as long as I
promised to do the same this afternoon.
The following day, my catheter and IV were removed which meant I now had
to go to the bathroom to make sure my new plumbing worked; it did. I had
been sitting to pee ever since I started my journey but had to aim my
penis with my fingers so the stream would go in the proper direction.
Out of habit, I reached to do the same and was surprised to not find
anything to aim anymore. All I had to do was go. The first time took a
bit of time, as I had to learn how to make myself go. This function
became easier each time I did it.
I won't bore you with my time in the hospital. I stayed for two weeks
before they let me go home. I won't think of Jell-O in the same way ever
again. I also had another hormone implant before I left.
There were instructions given to me that I had to follow religiously.
One I couldn't run for another two weeks and when I started again I had
to take it easy.
No soccer for a month after I got home to be sure everything was healed
and not likely to tear with the exertion.
Finally I had to dilate. When I was shown what to do in the hospital I
had never felt so vulnerable and embarrassed in my life. My nurse
apologized for making me uncomfortable but it had to be done or I would
close up which would be a very bad thing.
Lastly I was shown the care and maintenance of my new part. I had to
keep it clean because infection was now a very real threat. I found
being a girl wasn't as easy as I thought it would be.
Two days before I was discharged, my personal FBI Agents came to visit.
I thought they came to visit to be nice, but I was wrong. It was for a
very different reason.
Agent Groves entered the room first followed closely by Agent Martinez.
My Mom and Dad were both there. Ted had been staying with one of his
friends during this whole thing so he was still back in Jackson.
"Hello Cindy, It's nice to see you again. My you've certainly turned
into a lovely young lady," Agent Martinez said.
"Thank you."
"I was wondering where this journey would end when it started? To be
perfectly honest I didn't think it would end like this, but I'm glad it
did. If you had changed your mind we would have had to drop you from the
program and let you take care of yourselves on your own. It's good you
followed through because I have some things to talk to you about. As you
know, the man you sent to prison had escaped four years ago. As we told
you his Russian Mafia friends ambushed the vehicle he was riding in and
killed two marshals during his escape. He just dropped off the face of
the earth so to speak. We hadn't heard or seen anything about him for
two years. He may have been doing what he usually did for the Russian
Mafia during that time, but nothing could be linked to him directly. The
assassinations had continued but we had no real evidence it was him. Two
years ago a website was opened called American Twins. Basically it was a
registry of twins in the United States. Its premises were to put twins
in touch with each other for conventions and other events throughout the
states. As more names were gathered schools and towns were being visited
by several different men, all of them Russian. One was the man you sent
to prison."
"The way we found out about them was one set of twins was threatened by
your man. His description was the same with the same scar under his eye.
The boys and his parents were threatened but after the family proved
they weren't the twins he was looking for they left with the threat that
if they said anything he would be back. Lucky for us they called the
local police who in turn called us. We determined that the only way our
guy could have found out about the twins was through the web site. After
looking into the registration process it was easy to figure out what
they had done. When you signed up one of the questions was whether you
were fraternal or identical. After listing sex and age the work had been
done for them. We contacted many of the twins listed and over half had
mentioned some sort of contact with the group. No one has been hurt as
of this moment, but I must warn you that there is a set of twin boys
your age listed that live in Jackson."
"Erik and Anders," I said.
"You know them?"
"Yes we're in the same grade. I umm kind of liked Anders last year," I
blushed.
"I see. First boyfriend?"
"Yes."
"Well getting back to our problem, the group seems to be working its way
from the east coast. We've had reports of harassment from Utah just last
month. If your friends are on the registry like we think, then you can
expect a visit from your killer. You won't be in any danger because
you're now a girl and your brother is a boy. Your friends however might
be."
"I don't think so. They have blonde hair and blue eyes."
"Then I don't think you have anything to worry about. It appears your
family has made all the adjustments to live a normal life since the
relocation?" Agent Martinez said to my father.
"Yes I suppose we have, I think It may have been the best thing that
could have happened to us. We live in a lovely community, we have new
friends, our children have more friends that I can count on my fingers
and best of all we have a beautiful daughter."
"She is that," Agent Groves said. "We'll be checking back with you every
now and then just to be sure there are no problems but I doubt there
will be. The doctors here at Stanford are the best and I'm sure all the
steps with Cindy were for the best. I'm glad we were able to help assist
you. It has been a pleasure Mr. and Mrs. Crane. The best to you and
Cindy, you're a lovely young woman."
Chapter Eighteen
We returned home and the first thing out of Shannon's mouth was, "what
did they do to you?"
I knew she would be curious about what had taken place during my
absence. I had told her I had to go to the Bay Area for medical reasons
and I'd tell her all about it when I returned.
"I had some cysts that had to be removed. It was worse than they thought
and after my operation they said I can't have babies anymore."
I knew I was lying, but that would explain why I had been operated where
it was done. We both shed tears and hugs. God I'm so lucky to have
Shannon for a best friend.
My recovery went well. I started running with the soccer team and
playing after six weeks as the doctor instructed. It felt good to be
with my team again and finally really being one of the girls.
School started for us and now we were entering our first year of high
school. I was never so nervous in my life as we entered school. We were
the freshmen, bottom rung on the pole. Upper classmen were rushing here
and there, some teasing us about being young and new to school. We had
all worn jeans and a blouse so as to fit in with the older girls and to
be honest not to be noticed. We pretty much succeeded at that, the first
day anyway.
Shannon, Alexis and I had signed up for the same subjects, all college
prep. Unfortunately we found out in high school we wouldn't always be in
the same classes with each other. Shannon and I shared three classes and
I shared two with Alexis. The three of us agreed on one thing that we
would sign up for team sports after school. The only thing that
interested us was cross-country during the fall season. The three of us
joined the team and being already in top shape from soccer, our running
was almost the best on the team. Thankfully we were able to continue
with soccer because of daylight saving time. Our practices didn't start
until six and we were done with running by five.
We still maintained our high grade point average with Alexis carrying a
four point oh.
I forgot to mention the second day of school. I hadn't noticed the upper
class boys during our first day of school but apparently they had
noticed us. I found out later the boys liked to hang out near the
entrance on the first day of school to watch the freshman girls on their
way to classes. Several of the girls in my Algebra class were sophomores
and one sat next to me in class.
"Hi, I'm Traci," she said to me.
"I'm Cindy."
"Nice to meet you. You're a freshman aren't you?"
"Yes."
"Have you met any of the older boys yet?"
"No, why would you ask?"
"Because you're so pretty. Just wait, you'll be the first."
"The first for what?"
"To be asked out by a junior or senior."
"Why would they do that, they don't even know me?"
"They might not know you, but they know of you by now."
"I'm sorry Tracy, but I have no idea as to what you're talking about."
"Didn't you see all the boys lingering around the front entrance to
school yesterday?"
"Yes, how could I miss seeing them, some were really cute," I giggled.
"Us girls call that running the gauntlet. Every year the boys line up to
see which freshman they will want to ask out. Only the cutest girls are
asked. It's kind of a badge of acceptance and popularity to be asked by
an older boy. The higher the class, the bigger the prize. A senior is
the highest prize for a freshman girl."
"I don't think my parents would allow me to date anyone that much older
than me. I've never even been on a date."
"I can't believe that. You're too pretty to be sitting at home."
"I really don't have time to date anyway. I'm on a select soccer team
and my friends and I are going to sign up for the cross-country team.
The rest of my time is spent on homework."
"I should have done the same thing as you, but I like boys too much
which explains why I'm a sophomore in Algebra one."
Class was simple as we reviewed the math we learned last year in eight
grade. I was on my way to second period when a boy stopped me in the
hall. He was very cute, probably a ten on the cute meter.
"Hi," he said.
"Hi," I blushed in return.
"You're new here aren't you?"
"Yes."
"I'm Gabriel Manning."
"Cindy Crane."
"It's nice to meet you Cindy. Look we don't have much time between
classes and you're the prettiest girl I've ever met and would really
like to know you better. Would it be okay if I drove you home and maybe
we could stop for a Coke or something?"
Holy cow. This is only my second day here and a boy, a very cute boy is
already asking me o